As the anticipation mounts for Avicii’s sophomore album, Stories, the Swedish superstar has done us all a solid and dropped two unreleased tracks on his Le7els Podcast. We can only assume these songs will be featured on the upcoming album, and the folky themes present would certainly reaffirm the thought.
“Can’t Catch Me” is a gloriously downtempo track, and personally, I couldn’t be happier to see two of my favorite artists, Wyclef Jean and Matisyahu, be featured in collaboration with one of electronic music’s biggest names. It’s lyrically robust, delightfully lofty and utilizes guitar progressions that sound straight from your last campfire. Overall, the tune is vastly different from what we’ve come to expect with Avicii, and his endeavors to push boundaries and try new ideas is truly commendable.
At first listen, the next song, “Broken Arrows” featuring the Zac Brown Band, falls a bit short in its attempt at recreating “Hey Brother” from 2013. It’s a valiant effort, and certainly more typical of Avicii’s style, but lacks the authenticity of “Can’t Catch Me.” The arrangement itself is interesting, and the filtered synth melodies frolic about nicely, yet the mix never bursts into its full potential.
Ever the subject of speculative discussion, we’ll have to wait and see what exactly Avicii has in store for Stories.
